


Ripples

by notquitejiraiya (lethargicshadowlover)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Meetings, Just them getting on each others nerves, Meet-Cute, as usual, wedding guests - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:28:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24338908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lethargicshadowlover/pseuds/notquitejiraiya
Summary: Taking a breather from a wedding reception, Temari is joined by an unwanted stranger.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 16
Kudos: 76





	Ripples

The reflection of the moon across the water was warped a little more with every pebble Temari threw, the ripples barely getting a chance to flatten before the next impact. She raked up the skirt of her dress above her knees and leaned forward to grasp her next handful of ammo. The faintest hum of music was overpowered by each stone hitting the water violently; louder and louder as her patience wore thin. While it wasn’t her reason for abandoning the party roaring away behind her, she had decided that by the time she stood up, even if that was when the sun was rising, she _would_ have skipped one properly. It might have been testing her patience and the breeze which swept across the lake cast an unwanted chill across her shoulders, but Temari wasn’t one to give up even the most menial of tasks.

Frustrated, she kicked at the dirt with her bare toes and let the remaining pebbles fall from her palm beside her in. Her hand reached for the bottle of wine she’d nabbed on her way out to find only the slightest dregs remaining. She wiped her eyes, necked what remained and savoured the kick on the back of her tongue. It was true: wine always taste better when it was free, especially when it was as expensive as this.

As she dropped the empty bottle to the side and uncrossed her legs, adjusting her stance to resume her game, she suddenly felt a presence looming nearby. Temari chose not to turn as the figure perched beside her, but caught the slightest glimpse of poorly shined leather as she reached for her next stone. She knew those were a man’s shoes, and for a moment she wondered if it was Kankuro, but she’d seen the amount of drinks he’d had this evening and knew full well he would fall _onto_ her by this point, not beside her. So that meant this man was a stranger to her, much like everyone else at this wedding, and a quiet one at that.

Temari payed him no notice outwardly, merely flicking her wrist and _almost_ beating her record for this evening of three skips. She wanted to blame her poor technique on the thought that plagued her mind: any moment this man might lean into her, or open his mouth and drive her away from this peaceful place she’d found for herself. Who was she kidding—he would! From her experience, men did nothing but get in the way and ruin things, so the fact this one was doing neither was unnerving to say the least.

The next stone didn’t even skip once, just splashed with an unsatisfying plop.

And then he clicked something, and not just once—it was the most obnoxious sound Temari had ever heard. Upon the fifth click she couldn’t help herself and turned, nose crinkled and eyes narrow, to see an oblivious young man attempting to light a cigarette.

_Click._

A tie was tied loosely around his neck, a pop of green against his crumpled, monochrome suit, and his dark hair was bundled up into a ponytail. While Temari couldn’t deny the man was nice to look at—she particularly liked the shadow the sharpness of his jaw cast in the moonlight—he was most definitely a mess. The state of him almost made her feel better about her own appearance and the growing ring of dirt around the violet hem of her skirt, but that relief—or that jaw—didn’t help downplay her irritation or stop her wanting to snatch the lighter from his grip.

_Click._

Temari’s grip tightened around the next stone as she leaned down.

_Click._

Finally there was a flame, and his eyes shifted towards her, ignorant. For a moment she thought she saw him smirk as a subtle glow emerged from the end of his cigarette, but as he pulled it from his lips he turned away, blowing smoke out onto the water as he ignored her once more. She held back the urge to cough obnoxiously and scowled at him, expecting him to turn back to face her. When he didn’t, Temari could feel her bloody boiling and words just spat out on their own: “What the fuck are you doing?”

Dark eyes sat intently on the lake, unfazed by her crudity. “I thought that was obvious,” he said carelessly. “I’m having a cigarette.”

“And you have to do that here?” she hissed. “ _Right_ here—right next to me?”

There was a beat as he brought the cigarette back to his lips and rolled his eyes.

Half expecting him to ignore her, Temari turned back to face the water and scoffed. “If you haven’t noticed, Einstein, there’s a whole other acre of land for you to prance about with your death-sticks and smoke.” She tossed her pebble in her palm. “Why don’t you try a spot that isn’t already taken?”

“Oh, I’m _so_ sorry,” he snarked. His head finally turned to face her. “Could I get a _map_? Maybe directions to the area of this lake best suited to drowning?”

Temari growled. “I’m obviously sat here cause I want to be alone!”

“So am I.”

“Well, you’ve gone and ruined that for the both of us, haven’t you?” When Temari looked over he was chewing on his bottom lip, forcing back a mischievous smile as smoke filtered out his lips. With a look that smug on his face, she wanted to punch that perfect jaw right out of socket. “What’s so funny, huh?”

His eyes flickered shut. “Nothing’s funny.”

“Sure seems it.”

“No, it’s just so typical.”

She could feel her ears burning. “ _Typical_?”

“Yes, woman: _typical_ ,” he chuckled. “I leave that tent to get away from the yelling, sit down here and the yelling continues.”

“Oh,” she scoffed, “this isn’t even _nearly_ yelling. But if you want to hear yelling, I can arrange that for you.”

“I mean, listen to yourself—it’s inevitable.”

Temari had to turn away to stop herself screaming.

“So what drove you out here away from the ‘fun’?” He formed little air quotes as he tapped the excess ash away.

She let herself side-eye him and held back a snarl. “As if you care.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Just thought it was polite given that I’m definitely not going to move.” He was going straight in that lake in a minute if he wasn’t careful, especially given the hint of liquor she could detect in the smoky air. “Terribly sorry,” he added with an unenthusiastic look in his eyes.

He clearly wasn’t.

It took no time for Temari to decide that his annoyingness wasn’t some kind of flirtatious tactic as it had been for many of the men she’d come across in life. How she _hated_ men, especially those that found such behaviour amusing or assumed it was endearing. In fact, until this moment she was certain no male attitude could infuriate her more, but here _he_ was: smoke between his lips and sighing like the world was on his shoulders, speaking almost as brutally as her and clearly getting a kick out of it with no care for what she thought.

She couldn’t bare how interested she was in what was happening beneath that scruffy hair. What she hated even more was the fact she wanted him to be thinking about her, and the fact that undoubtedly his ignorance was fuelling her interest in him. As he lifted his head and stared her down, eyebrows raised in an almost condescending way, Temari bit down on her lip and scowled straight back.

He was insufferable.

Why couldn’t she control her intrigue?

“Right, I’ll bite,” she growled, “what’s the matter with you? Why are _you_ out here?”

He shrugged. “Well, for starters, I’m pretty sure I just got dumped.”

Temari’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me?” she got out through laughter.

Chuckling as if it didn’t matter the man shook his head, but she swore she could see his face fall slightly. “Or if I wasn’t, I will be by tomorrow.” As he picked up a stone from her carefully selected pile Temari contemplated swatting him away, but the thoughtful way his eyes glistened momentarily stopped her in her tracks. “That and the fact that if I hear one more ABBA song I might _actually_ drown myself.”

“Well honestly, I can see why.” She slowly sat down and pursed her lips, trying not to let him win by laughing. “You’re irritating.”

“Wow, woman,” he said, looking back her way, “kick a man while he’s down.”

“Are you usually this much of an ass, because I don’t know about your girlfriend but _I_ definitely couldn’t live with you?”

He laughed, properly this time. Temari decided the sound fell nicely amongst the silence. “Are _you_ usually this troublesome?”

Any pity she might’ve housed was quickly vanishing. She rolled her eyes. He was clearly fine. “So, what did you do to this girl?”

“Nothing.”

Temari frowned. “Nothing as in you did nothing wrong, or did nothing _for_ her?”

“I honestly have no idea,” he mumbled.

“I find that hard to believe,” Temari mused, “especially considering how sad you _don’t_ seem about all this.”

The young man turned his head and smirked at her. “You’re determined to pin me as an asshole, aren’t you?”

“Well, you haven’t exactly made the best impression so far—invading on my personal space and blowing smoke at me.”

“ _Well_ ,” he mimicked her as he turned, his tone bitter and feistier than before, “is it really so bad if I’m not upset I’m now single? I’m sure a woman like you has had a few questionable relationships in her life—you must get that it can just be relief.”

Temari almost couldn’t comprehend how insulting it was listening to him speak, and she had to fight the urge to smash the rock in her palm straight into the back of his thick skull. Worst of all he wasn’t wrong, and the look in his eyes told her he already it knew it. She could only hope that confidence was born of arrogance and not from her gormless expression.

It felt to Temari like this man was put on earth to push her buttons, and he was doing a terribly good job.

“And what is _that_ supposed to mean?” she asked through gritted teeth, knowing full well the answer that would follow. “ _A woman like me_?”

He nodded and blew smoke straight into her face. “You’re a firestarter; that much isn’t difficult to tell.”

“Wow,” she scoffed, snarling. “I was going to try and be consoling if you _were_ upset, but you know what? You don’t deserve it.”

“Good,” he chuckled. “I don’t want sympathy anyway.”

Swiftly and precisely, without even standing up, his wrist flicked and sent the pebble he held flying. As it hit the water Temari was mesmerised, and begged silently for it to sink as quickly as her own attempts had. However, much to her dismay, perfect ripples surrounded it as it flew on and on and on…

When it finally dipped beneath the surface, disappearing from view further away than she cared to measure, Temari was sure she’d never been this livid. The last hour of her life suddenly felt utterly meaningless, and how nonchalant he was about his success wasn’t helping. All he seemed to do in response was shrug a little and fall onto his back to stare up at the stars. She watched him lift his cigarette to his lips and coughed dramatically until he turned her way, the paper tube balancing between his lips. “What now?” he asked.

Temari flared her nostrils, rolling her eyes to the back of her head for the millionth time.

“Do you want one or something?”

Finally she caved, unable to stop herself laughing at his idiocy. “Of course not! They’re _vile_!”

“Stop being such a pain or leave then,” he grumbled, letting his eyes flicker shut.

Never had Temari willingly let someone best her like is, and if it weren’t for the fact his grating personality was starting to wear her thin Temari wouldn’t have considered walking away. Then again, for the exact same reason, she felt inclined to stand her ground. She was here first, and she was most certainly going to be petty about that fact.

“Right, asshole,” she began, “it was _you_ who invaded _my_ evening, not the other way around, and if you’re not going to leave me alone I have some questions.” She twisted her body to face him properly as she debated impaling him with the heel of her shoe. “Name?”

His face contorted into the most childish unimpressed expression she’d ever seen. “Why?”

Temari cocked her head to one side, squinting. “Or would you rather I kept calling you ‘asshole’?”

There was a beat as he stubbed out his cigarette in the grass only to immediately light another, repeating that horrendous clicking routine a second time. Temari was certain from the little chuckle after the eighth click that he knew she hated it, and he was clearly basking in the attention whether he’d admit it or not.

When the damned thing was finally lit, Temari raised her eyebrows expectantly at him and he huffed at her.

“Shikamaru,” he said, letting his eyes shut again.

“And are you _capable_ of not sounding bored, Shikamaru?”

“Maybe when the company isn’t boring.”

The smile playing on his lips was the only thing stopping Temari punching him, and frustratingly she could feel herself grinning, too.

One eye pried open before quickly snapping shut. “What about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your name—what is it?”

She frowned and crossed her arms beneath her bust. “What does it matter to you?”

“Right, like _mine_ matters to _you…_ ”

“I’m going to throw you into the water in a minute.”

“Go ahead,” he chuckled, fluttering his eyes open in far too sweet a way for Temari’s taste. “It is a getting bit warm…”

“No it isn’t, idiot,” she snapped. “I’m freezing.”

Shikamaru frowned at her. “That’s your own fault for not bringing a jacket—you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.”

“How terribly kind of you,” she laughed, spiteful and amazed.

His eyes narrowed as he propped himself up on his elbow. “What were you expecting me to say?” he said with a laugh. “‘Oh, _madam_ , here—have my blazer!’ Yeah, fat chance of that happening, love.”

Temari pouted to try and hide her smile. “You’re impossible.”

“Less than a minute ago you want to throw me in the lake and now you’re trying to make me feel bad for not lending you my jacket?” He shook his head and took a long drag go his cigarette. “So we know who the really impossible one is here, don’t we?”

The smoke filtered through the air and through the haze Temari caught a glimpse of him giving her what looked like a genuine smile. Without the spite or the depreciating undertone it was actually somewhat beautiful—subtle and calm, paired with eyes that looked honest above all else. His now lopsided ponytail fluttered in the wind, and he blinked a few times before sitting up properly. She was taken aback as he got to his feet, and almost grabbed his ankle to stop him leaving. A wave of hot embarrassment flooded her cheeks and she quickly turned back to the lake, biting down on her lip to stop herself being pathetic and asking that he stay.

Above the water, and the trees on its border, the moon sat high and mighty, casting a glorious glow across everything. The way the light bounced off the lake was stunning; she could’ve looked at it forever. But somehow she found herself wanting to turn back to him and look at him once more, yearning to see him under a more artificial light where the finer details of his face weren’t obscured by darkness.

It felt wrong being drawn to him. She felt stupid for being drawn in by the arrogance and mind games he undoubtedly played, and it wasn’t often she felt this much of an idiot. The bottle of wine in her system must’ve played its part in all of this, but despite that she was kind of enjoying the feeling of giddiness rippling through her stomach. For whatever reason, she was as excited as she was irked by the image of his smirk forcing its way to the forefront of her mind when she blinked; she wanted to hear him speak just to hear his voice, even though she knew every word would rile her up again.

Nothing was as easy as turning and telling him not to go, however, and Temari let her shoulders fall as his footsteps sounded beside her.

“Heads up!”

Temari turned to find fabric colliding with her face at full pelt, and grumbled through her giggles as she felt a button whip her forehead. She peeled the garment from her head, mindless of the mess it made of her hair, and pursed her lips into a smile.

His jacket.

When she looked over he’d moved a few metres away, seemingly to redirect his smoke away from her, and saluted when she caught his eye. “Just making the most of this whole other acre you mentioned,” he smirked.

Shaking her head at him, she slung his jacket over her shoulders. _Maybe he isn’t that awful_ , she thought. She grabbed another stone to skip in order to ignore the butterflies building in her stomach.

“Temari,” she smiled. “My name’s Temari.”


End file.
